It can be easy to forget that Leica was one of the earliest proponents of full-frame mirrorless, with its original SL appearing back in 2015. This was a camera built unashamedly for professionals, with an exceptionally robust body and streamlined operation supported by superb optics. The new Leica SL3 maintains the philosophy, but gains many of the same updates that we saw last year on the Q3 full-frame compact. This makes it one of the best Leica cameras yet.

　　Leica SL3 at a glance: $6995 / £5920 body-only 60MP full-frame sensor ISO 100-100,000 (standard) 50-100,000 (extended) Up to 5 fps shooting with C-AF; up to 15fps with electronic shutter and fixed focus 8K 30fps video shooting, 4K 60p, Full HD 120p In-body stabilisation, 5 stops 5.76m-dot, 0.76x viewfinder 3.2in, 2.3m-dot tilting touchscreen I was lucky enough get my hands on the camera for a couple of days prior to its launch, and it’s an impressive piece of kit.

　　Leica SL3: features Let’s take a quick spin through the SL3s key features. Like the Leica Q3, it employs a 60MP full-frame sensor which, for the first time on an SL camera, includes phase detection for autofocus. It provides a standard sensitivity range covering ISO 100-100,000, with an ISO 50 option also available at the expense of highlight range.

　　Continuous shooting is available with continuous autofocus at up to 5 frames per second, or with focus fixed at up to 15 fps using an electronic shutter. Uniquely, Leica shows unambiguously what you’re getting at each speed in terms of AF and raw bit-depth.

　　Timed shutter speeds as slow as 60 minutes are provided, which is great for such things as landscape or astro photography. At the other end of the scale, the fastest speed is 1/8000sec with the mechanical shutter, or 1/16000sec with the electronic shutter.

　　Thanks to the inclusion of Leica’s latest Maestro IV processor, the SL3 adopts subject recognition autofocus. This borrows from Panasonic technology thanks to the two firms’ L2 alliance, with human and animal detection available. It’s not as sophisticated as the systems on rival cameras, but it’s a big leap forward compared to the current SL2.

　　In-body image stabilisation is built in, promising 5 stops of shake suppression. Theres no high-resolution multi-shot mode, but with 60MP already to play with, thats not much of a loss. Leica hasnt ruled out adding one via firmware if enough users say they need it.

　　Video can be recorded at 8K resolution and 30fps, 4K 60fps, or Full HD 120fps, with an entirely separate video-optimised interface. Microphone and headphone sockets are provided, alongside full-size HDMI video output and USB-C for charging and data connections.

　　Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are on board for wireless connectivity via the Leica Fotos App. A 60MP DNG raw file can be copied to across to your smartphone in as little as 2 seconds, for processing in programs such as Lightroom Mobile. Thats seriously impressive, but you can also use a wired connection to an iPhone via a USB-C or Lightning cable, which is even quicker.

　　Leica SL3: Key features Tilt screen: The 3in, 2.1m-dot rear screen now tilts up and down, but there’s no additional hinge for portrait-format shooting Storage: Leica has included two card slots, one for CFexpress Type B and the other for UHS-II SD Autofocus: AF is dramatically improved by the addition of both phase detection and subject recognition for humans and animals Variable resolution: The camera is capable of outputting both JPEG and DNG raw files at 60MP, 36MP, and 18MP Leica SL3: Refined design While the SL3 looks similar to previous models in the line, it comes with several significant design updates. Perhaps the most obvious is the addition of a large dial on the top left to change the ISO. This joins two others placed under your right forefinger and thumb for setting shutter speed, aperture, and exposure compensation.

　　Another significant change is found on the back, with the screen now capable of tilting up and down for high and low-angle shooting. As a result, the column of three buttons that was previously on its left side has moved across to the right. This places them much more conveniently under the control of your right thumb.

　　Also, the SL2’s power switch has been replaced by a push-button control, with a glowing ring around its edge to indicate the camera’s status.

　　Like its predecessor, the body feels exceptionally robust in your hand, with an IP54 rating indicating protection against dust ingress and water spray from any direction. The large control dials and joystick all fall nicely to hand, while a top-plate LCD display shows your key settings at a glance.

　　Compared to the SL2, the body is slimmed down slightly but still pretty hefty, at 141.2 x 108.1 x 84.6mm and 850g. This makes it one of the larger mirrorless models around.

　　Leica has clearly spent a lot of time refining the user interface to make it even clearer and easier to use, especially via the touchscreen. Touch points are more spaced out, and the onscreen icons have been redesigned for greater clarity. As usual, the firm has also kept the camera’s menus as sparse as possible, rather than swamping you with incomprehensible options.

　　The overall result is one of the most elegant and streamlined interfaces I’ve had the pleasure of using. This is a camera that gets out of your way while shooting, allowing you to concentrate on your photography and not battling to change settings.

　　Indeed, this is a notably straightforward design, which does without the plethora of buttons and dials generally found on pro-focused models. Instead, the camera is based around user-customisability, with five programmable buttons dotted around the body that can be configured to the user’s needs. It’s also possible to save multiple camera setups for different purposes and, crucially, give them meaningful names.

　　If there’s one immediate concern, it’s battery life. The SL3 uses the same BP-SCL6 as the Leica Q3, which here is rated for just 260 shots per charge, according to CIPA-standard tests. This is about half what you’d expect from its rivals, and was also reflected in my time using the camera. So it looks like a spare or two will be essential.

　　Leica SL3: First Impressions At $6995 / £5920, the Leica SL3 is considerably more expensive than its most obvious competitors, the Nikon Z 8 and Sony Alpha A7R V, both of which can be bought for around £3700. However, for some photographers, the cachet of turning up to a job or event with a Leica may well be worth the premium.

　　On paper, the SL3 also lags those rivals in terms of features and technology. But the gap is very much narrower than when the SL2 appeared four years ago, and in many scenarios, it’ll deliver results that are every bit as good, if not better. It looks set to be a very desirable camera indeed.

　　Leica SL3 high-resolution sample images Here is a selection of full-resolution sample images from the Leica SL3. All were shot using the Leica Vario-Elmarit-SL 24-70mm F2.8 ASPH lens in DNG raw format, and then processed using Adobe Camera Raw to taste. Click on any image to see the full-size version.

　　Read our Leica SL3 interview with Stefan Daniel of Leica

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　　Leica SL3: Full Specifications